


7 years - part 2

by thelastmarauder



Series: 7 years [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27164438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastmarauder/pseuds/thelastmarauder
Summary: Covering the seventh year at Hogwarts (1977-1978)Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me- Lukas Graham
Relationships: Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: 7 years [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983937
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Elvendork

**Author's Note:**

> Partly based on the Harry Potter prequel story, which (if you haven't already) you can read here: https://www.mugglenet.com/harry-potter/james-sirius-prequel/

_Tuesday, 26 July 1977_  
“Let’s go, Prongs. The wanker’s obviously not going to show.” Sirius complained, kicking up a loose stone in frustration.  
“Let’s give it five more minutes.” His best friend answered, peering up at the darkening sky.  
They stood in a deserted field, waiting to meet a wizard James had challenged to a duel the day before.  
Sirius drummed his wand against the handlebar of his motorcycle impatiently. He let James pace up and down the field twice more, before he gave up.  
“That’s it! We’re leaving.”  
He threw his leg over the bike, putting his wand away in his back pocket. When James didn’t follow, he started the engine and revved it in warning.  
“I _will_ leave without you if you aren’t on here in under 10 seconds.” He threatened. “We’ve already wasted a perfectly good evening.”  
“Fine!” James snapped, not wanting to admit he’d been hoodwinked by a Death Eater.  
He’d just settled in on the back of the bike when three specks came rapidly hurtling towards them. Rathbourne had obviously decided to bring back-up, and they hadn’t come to play.  
“Protego!” James cried just in time to deflect two red flashes coming at them. “I think it’s time to leave Padfoot!”  
Sirius didn’t need telling twice. He took off into the sky, the three broomsticks hot on their heels.  
“Maybe we should touch down again!” James called in between throwing curses over his shoulder, hanging off the back of the bike precariously. “They’ll have a harder time following us on the ground.”  
The next minute they slammed down in the middle of a busy street and hurtled on, a flashing siren almost immediately on their tail.  
“Muggles! Just what we need.” Sirius swore.  
“Nah, this could be good. They can’t attack if they don’t want to break the Statute of Secrecy.”  
“Yeah, but neither can we.” Sirius reminded James. He sped up, taking a side turn, the police car screeching around the corner a few seconds later.  
They continued racing through the narrow streets, occasionally catching a glimpse of their pursuers in the air.  
“I think we’ve lost them!” James shouted when he could no longer spot the broomsticks.  
“Great!” Sirius called back, taking a sharp right that almost unseated James. “Oh, shit.”  
The side street they’d turned into was a dead end.  
Sirius skidded to a halt at the end of the alleyway, caught between the brick wall and the oncoming Muggle police car.  
“Alright, let’s just stay calm, have a chat.” James suggested. “It’ll be fine.”  
They saw two middle-aged Muggles extricate themselves from the vehicle with enormous difficulty, inching crab-like past their car. One of them managed to snap off the wing mirror with his butt, eliciting sniggers from both boys.  
“Get off the bike!” The second officer bellowed angrily. They did as they were told.  
Finally pulling free from the broken wing mirror, the first officer glared at them.  
“No helmets!” He yelled, pointing from one uncovered head to the other. “Exceeding the speed limit by – by a considerable amount! Failing to stop for the police!”  
“We’d have loved to stop for a chat,” said James pleasantly, “only we were trying —”  
“Don’t get smart – you two are in a heap of trouble!” snarled the second officer. “Names!”  
“Names?” repeated Sirius. “Er – well, let’s see. There’s Wilberforce… Bathsheba… Elvendork…”  
“And what’s nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy or a girl,” James added.  
“Oh, OUR names, did you mean?” Sirius asked innocently, as both officers spluttered with rage. “You should’ve said! This here is James Potter, and I’m Sirius Black!”  
“Things’ll be seriously black for you in a minute, you cheeky little —”  
But neither James nor Sirius was paying attention. They were suddenly as alert as gundogs, staring past the Muggles, over the roof of the police car, at the dark mouth of the alley. Then, with identical fluid movements, they reached into their back pockets.  
“Drumsticks?” jeered the first officer. “Right pair of jokers, aren’t you? Right, we’re arresting you on a charge of —”  
But they never got to name the charge. James and Sirius waved their wands and levitated the police car up to block the three incoming men on broomsticks. They slammed into the hood of the vehicle, broken bits of broomstick flying everywhere.  
The first officer staggered and sat down hard, as the second tripped over his legs and fell on top of him.  
Sirius revved up his bike, and both officers looked back at them open-mouthed.  
“Thanks very much!” called Sirius over the throb of the engine. “We owe you one!”  
“Yeah, nice meeting you!” said James. “And don’t forget: Elvendork! It’s unisex!”  
With an earth-shattering crash, he let the police car fall back to the ground, and then they took off into the air again, whooping loudly. The Statute of Secrecy was all but forgotten for the moment.  
“Do you think we might make a small detour?” James asked after their laughter had died out.  
“Over Cokesworth, by any chance?” Sirius smirked. “That would only be the third time this week.”  
“Shut up, Padfoot. Do you think I don’t know about your midnight rendezvous’ with Remus? I just have the misfortune that my girlfriend’s fireplace isn’t connected to the Floo Network.”  
“Alright, alright.” Sirius conceded. “But we’re not staying, and this time I get to say hi to Lily.”  
“You’re just jealous because she likes me better now.” James grinned smugly.  
“You wanna bet?” Sirius looked over his shoulder, almost crashing his bike into a flock of oncoming birds.  
“Mind where you’re going! We’ll ask her in a minute.”

Marlene sat in her room, her hands covering her ears. Still, she was unable to shut out the raised voices that came from downstairs.  
Ever since they had gotten back from Hogwarts, her father had been fighting with all of them, but mostly her brother Samuel. The smallest thing was enough to make them have a go at each other. Right now they were fighting because Samuel had taken out his broomstick into the backyard without asking. Nevermind that they’d been flying there since the age of seven. Apparently now it warranted a row.  
All summer, her father had been erratic; in turns angry and melancholic, and utterly unreasonable. When her mother had asked them at the end of the school year to be gentle with their father, Marlene had assumed they should try not to mention Danny, or the war, but as it turned out it didn’t matter what they did at all. Anything and everything could trigger one of his moods, and when it happened, the best thing was to leave him to it and wait until it had passed.  
Up until last year, Mr McKinnon had been unvaryingly kind to his family, and this sudden change in behaviour had them all walking around on eggshells. Only last night, they had sat together in the garden talking about Quidditch, and it had felt just like old times. Marlene had almost believed that things were getting better.  
She heard angry steps coming up the stairs, and she opened her door.  
“You alright?” She asked her brother.  
“He’s been drinking.” Samuel said angrily, gripping the handle to his bedroom door tight.  
“What?” Marlene frowned. “Dad never drinks.”  
“Yeah, well, tell that to the bottle of Firewhiskey he’s just downed.”  
Samuel went into his room, flopping down on his bed despondently. He had left the door open, which Marlene took as an invitation to follow him.  
“Scoot over.”  
She lay down next to him, staring at the cracked ceiling.  
“What are we going to do?” She asked quietly.  
“I don’t know, Lena.” Samuel admitted. “I’ve tried being gentle like mum asks, but he’s just so… I mean it’s like he doesn’t even _care_. Like he’s built a wall around himself, and he doesn’t care that we’re trapped on the other side.”  
“I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose, Sammy.”  
“I know. But he’s also not doing much to break out, is he? I mean, if he really loved us…” Samuel’s voice caught and he paused, blinking hard at his ceiling. “But it’s like all he cares about is Danny.”  
Marlene focused hard on a crack that ran from the lamp to the window, almost in an S-shape. She wanted to agree with her brother: her father _was_ letting things go too far. But on the other hand, how could she blame him, when all of it was her fault? If she hadn’t forced Daniel to take her back to the fight, he would still be here with them.  
They stared at the ceiling in silence, not sure what more could be said.

Lily’s breath hissed through her teeth as the cold steel of the kitchen knife bit deep into her finger. She put her hand under the tap, then grabbed her wand. Inspecting the cut with an almost clinical detachment, she moved her wand over it and the wound closed itself shut.  
Lily ran a finger over the little scar, quite pleased that it was nearly invisible. She had been working on some healing spells over the last few weeks, and the results were starting to show. She was just about to resume cutting tomatoes when a familiar rumbling noise made her turn to the window with a smile. A small speck in the air was getting bigger, while the sound grew louder and then finally cut off.  
Lily made her way to the back door and out into their small garden. She shook her head at the two boys getting off the bike. She had given up on reminding them of the Statute of Secrecy, and had instead told her neighbours they had a nest of uncommonly large owls in their backyard.  
“You know when I said to come see me, I meant like once or twice.” She told James, before kissing him.  
“Good to see you, Sirius.” She went over and hugged him. “How’s Remus?”  
“A bit tense. It’s a full moon this weekend.”  
“So, what brings you guys here?”  
“Can’t a man just visit his girlfriend without needing a reason?” James asked with a significant look at Sirius, telling him to shut up.  
“He could, if he was better at lying to her.” Lily grinned. “What have you done this time?”  
“I told you.” Sirius whispered under his breath, while James exclaimed: “Nothing! What did I do to deserve such suspicion?”  
“Do you want the list?” Lily asked, while bringing the boys inside.  
They settled in with drinks, the tomatoes forgotten on the kitchen counter.  
James tried to hold up under Lily’s inquisitive stare, but gave in after less than a minute.  
“Fine! I may have challenged that guy to a duel, despite you telling me not to. And he may have shown up with back-up, like you said he would. So we've just been chased all over town.”  
“Well, that’s what you get for not listening to me!” Lily told him sternly.  
“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”  
“I am! You just need someone on your side who’ll remind you you’re an idiot sometimes.”  
“What do you think my job is?” Sirius interrupted their squabbling.  
“Good question, Sirius.” Lily turned to him, and he suddenly regretted speaking up. “I thought your job was to keep him out of trouble. In fact, I distinctly remember you saying: _‘Don’t worry, Lily! I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid!’_ ”  
“Alright, fair point.” He conceded.  
With a sigh, Lily turned back to James, and finding him appropriately contrite, she grabbed his hand.  
“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.”  
“Me too.” He grinned, then added more seriously: “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have challenged him, but I couldn’t just let him get away with saying those kinds of things.”  
Lily regarded him for a moment, wondering to herself why the things she loved and the things that scared her most about this boy were somehow the exact same ones.  
“I know. Next time, just don’t go without me, alright?”  
“Lily Evans! Are you suggesting I corrupt your innocence and virtue?” James exclaimed, dramatically clutching imaginary pearls.  
“Why is he like this?” Lily turned to Sirius exasperatedly.  
“I ask myself the same thing every day.” He grinned.  
“Puh, don’t pretend you don’t love it, the both of you!”  
“I know, you make me question my sanity.” Lily grinned before kissing James.  
“So, did you already get started on that Transfiguration assignment?” Sirius asked loudly, unceremoniously breaking up the kissing.  
“Yeah, I’m almost done. I just need to add my sources, and go over a few wonky passages.” Lily smiled, knowing full well what he was trying to do. “And before you ask: no, you can’t have a quick look at it. Do your own homework, Black.”  
“You know, you’re not as good a friend as I thought you would be, Evans. And after everything I’ve done for you, too!”  
She softened a bit at that. “Fine, you can have one - _one_ \- look. But no copying!”  
“Well, there’s no point then, is there?” Sirius grumbled. “It’s not like I want to read it for fun.”  
Lily’s retort was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.  
“Looks like it’s time for you two to go.” She clapped her hands and their drinks cleaned themselves up. “Unless you want to meet my parents now, James?”  
He looked down at his disheveled clothes and torn pants. “I think I’ll pass. But I’ll be here next weekend, 6 o’clock sharp.”  
“I’ll be looking forward to it!” Lily grinned, kissing him goodbye while pushing the two boys out the back door.

 _Wednesday, 27 July 1977_  
Remus sat down in the garden, sweat dripping down his brow after mowing the lawn. It was another three days until the full moon, but his body already felt tired and dull.  
His mind strayed back to the letter that had arrived this morning. Though he hadn’t opened it yet, the weight of it had been enough to tell him that it didn’t contain a new pin.  
He felt stupid for caring. It’s not like he had ever wanted to be a prefect, let alone a Head Boy, anyway. But the thought that one of the other prefects - William Simmons from Hufflepuff, who was a terrible push-over, or Archie Stenton from Ravenclaw who forgot most of his duties because he was buried in his little experiments, or... he didn’t even want to entertain the _possibility_ of it being Severus Snape - were somehow preferable to himself, still stung.  
He groaned in frustration and let his head fall back against the tree behind him. The sun chased colorful figures across the back of his eyelids, and for a second he imagined a world where there would be no night, no moon, no transformations.  
Then a shadow fell over him, and as he opened his eyes another boy had dropped by his side.  
“Hi, Moony.” He leaned in for a kiss.  
“Sirius? I thought you weren’t coming until Saturday?”  
“I’m glad to see you, too!” Sirius rolled his eyes. “I just thought I’d come over because I missed you so much.”  
“Was James annoying you again?” Remus guessed.  
“Merlin, yes!” Sirius flopped down in the grass. “He’s meeting Lily’s parents next week, and it’s all he talks about. What should I wear, Sirius? What do Muggles even talk about, Sirius? What if they don’t like me, Sirius? I swear, if it goes on like this for another ten days, I’m going to kill him before he ever gets to meet them.”  
“Maybe that’s his plan?” Remus smiled as he looked down at Sirius.  
The sun filtered through the leaves of the tree made Remus’ eyes seem luminous and wide, and Sirius found it hard to look away.  
“I’m trying very hard to be cross, but it’s not easy when you’re looking this pretty.” He told Remus, who flushed bright red.  
“You can’t call a boy pretty.”  
“Why not?” Sirius sat up with a frown. “I just did.”  
He snaked his arm around Remus’ waist and pulled him close. “You-” He kissed his cheek. “-are-” He kissed his other cheek. “-a very pretty boy.” He kissed his lips softly, then wrinkled his nose. “And also very sweaty.”  
Remus smacked him in the back of the head. “That’s what you get for coming by uninvited.”  
“Uninvited?” Sirius reeled back. “I thought I was always invited?”  
“Yes, well, not if you don’t want me to smell.”  
Sirius pulled Remus close, so he could snuggle his face in the crook of Remus’ neck. “I never said you smelled. Just that you were sweaty.”  
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the buzz of insects in the nearby flower beds.  
“I didn’t just come because of James, you know.”  
“Hmm?”  
“We got our Hogwarts letters today.” Sirius continued.  
“Hmm.” Remus made the same non-committal sound, stiffening slightly.  
“Do you want to talk about it?” Sirius pressed.  
“Why would there be something to talk about?”  
“I know they didn’t make you Head Boy.”  
Remus sat back from Sirius with a frown. “How could you possibly know that? I haven’t even opened my letter yet.”  
“Because I know who _was_ made Head Boy.”  
Remus dropped his head with a defeated groan. It was absolutely certain now that they hadn’t simply forgotten to add his pin to his letter.  
“Just tell me it isn’t Snape.” He muttered against his forearm.  
“It isn’t Snape.”  
Something in Sirius’ tone made Remus look up.  
“It’s James.”  
Sirius waited in silence, watching emotions flit across Remus’ face as he processed the news. Remus looked away for a moment, and when he turned back he had a wry smile on his face.  
“Well, that’s a surprise.” He commented drily. “But also a relief.”  
Sirius’ searching gaze scanned his face, so Remus made sure to keep his features in check.  
“Is it?” Sirius asked, and the quiet concern in his voice broke through Remus’ resolve. His face crumpling slightly, he burrowed into his boyfriend’s side, hiding his face against his shoulder as they held each other in the dying light.  
After a while Remus cleared his throat, wiping his eyes on his shirtsleeve, and said: “My parents are at a wedding, so they won’t be home for hours. If you’d like to come inside…”  
“Are you sure?” Sirius asked, his eyes darkening as his heart rate spiked.  
“Yes, please.” Remus held his gaze.  
“Well, you should have led with that!” Sirius grinned, pulling Remus along eagerly, and just like that the earlier gravity was forgotten.


	2. Tick tock goes the clock

_Sunday, 31 July 1977_  
Peter glanced at his wrist watch for the third time in a minute. His mother was supposed to be home at five, and it was already half past.  
Any other time he would have enjoyed the extra time alone, but tonight she was bringing a new supply of Floo Powder, without which he wouldn’t be able to go out.  
Not for the first time this summer he cursed the accident of fate that had placed his seventeenth birthday three weeks after the Apparition exam.  
If only he was three weeks older. If only they could afford to keep a sufficient supply of Floo powder. If only the Ministry paid his mother a decent wage. If only she had the guts to ask for it. If only...  
Lately it seemed that Peter’s life was nothing but a long string of if-onlys and regret, that not even the presence of his friends could completely make up for. On the contrary, their thoughtless affluence was becoming an increasingly sore point.  
Impatiently drumming his fingers on the shabby kitchen table he glanced at his watch again. If his mother didn’t get home in the next ten minutes he’d have to ask the neighbour for Floo powder. Again.  
Peter stood up and strode to the window overlooking the street. No sign of his mother.  
He pulled on the cuffs of his shirt wishing they weren’t slightly too short. He supposed he could try to magic them longer, but the last time he’d tried something like that he’d set his robes on fire. Probably best not to try it.  
He jumped as the door opened behind him. Finally!

Three pairs of eyes were trained on the timepiece as it ticked away until six o'clock. Lily's hands were knotted in her lap, twisting the fabric of her dress.  
"You look nice." Her dad commented gruffly, as he stuffed his pipe.  
"Thanks." Lily smiled quickly before looking back at her fingers.  
Mrs Evans smoothed her hands over her skirt and crossed her ankles, glancing around the tidy little living room, trying to see it through the eyes of a stranger. It must all look very mundane - no, _Muggle_ , she corrected herself - to a boy who had grown up with magic.  
The Evanses followed the clock hand as it struck six, and with a sigh of relief Lily heard the doorbell sound almost simultaneously.  
“I’ll get it!” She trilled, shooting out of her chair.  
Throwing open the front door, Lily was relieved to see that James wasn’t wearing anything weird. It was always a bit of a hit and miss with wizards, and her parents were definitely more of the traditional sort. But James was wearing a matching suit, his hair for once combed into submission, the wand sticking out of his jacket the only give-away that he wasn’t an average Muggle boy-next-door.  
With a big smile she pulled him inside, and looked him over appreciatively. “You should wear this more often, it’s really working for me.”  
“Likewise.” He agreed, nodding at her dress. The skirt fell well past her knees, but the neckline revealed a lot more of her shoulders and collarbones than either her school uniform or the t-shirts she usually wore. Lily felt her cheeks flush with pleasure, and for a moment she lost herself in the look on James’ face.  
“Let’s meet the parents, shall we?” He cleared his throat, trying to bring his thoughts back in line. It was all too easy to forget the rest of the world when they were together.  
“Right.” Lily nodded, tearing her eyes away from his. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and led him into the living room.  
“Mum, Dad, this is James.”  
Mrs Evans walked over to him with a warm smile.  
“Good evening, James. We’ve heard so much about you, it’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”  
Mr Evans greeted him more sternly, sizing up the boy who was trying to make off with his youngest daughter.  
They sat down, and James looked around the room eagerly.  
“That’s a great television you’ve got there.” He told Mr Evans, trying to show that he did know some things about their culture. “Does it have all the colours?”  
Lily’s parents tried to hide their bemusement as they assured him that it did indeed “have all the colours”.  
“Did I mention that James was made Head Boy?” Lily put in, steering the conversation away from Muggle technology.  
“Oh, congratulations, your parents must be very proud!” Mrs Evans beamed.  
“Yes, they are. It’s really… great.” James answered evasively, fidgeting with his wand.  
The conversation moved along various subjects, each one more uncomfortable than the last, until Lily stood up and announced: “We should be off, wouldn’t want to be late!”  
“Yes!” James jumped up in relief. “We wouldn’t want to keep the others waiting. It was very nice meeting you!”  
They made their way out in a flurry, leaving Mr and Mrs Evans to discuss their new acquaintance.  
“Odd fellow, isn’t he?” Mr Evans huffed. “Don’t know what she sees in him.”  
“Oh, I don’t know.” Mrs Evans stood at the window, her eyes following the two figures to the end of the street where they suddenly blinked out of existence. “I rather liked him.”

Lily and James Apparated onto a deserted country lane, hands still intertwined. James started walking towards a house further down, but he was pulled back by a sharp tug on his right hand.  
“Wait a second. What was that just now?”  
“Which part?” James frowned. “I think it was pretty much all a disaster.”  
“It was fine. They just need to get used to you.” Lily assured him. “But you acted really strange when I mentioned the Head Boy thing.”  
“Oh, that.” He looked uncomfortable. “Yeah... I’m not going to be Head Boy.”  
“What? Yes you are, you showed me the letter.” Lily frowned.  
“I know, but I’m asking them to reconsider it. By all rights, it should be Remus.”  
“Did he say that?”  
“No.” James admitted. “But he doesn’t have to, I know it shouldn’t be me.”  
“So what are you going to do?” Lily asked gently.  
“I’ll write to Dumbledore, tell him I can’t be Head Boy.” James told her. “And then they’ll give it to Remus. As they should have in the first place.”  
“Except they won’t.” Lily shook her head, a sad look entering her eyes.  
“What do you mean? Of course they will.”  
“I heard them talking about it a few months ago. They don’t want to make Remus Head Boy, because they don’t think he’ll be able to handle it with the strain of his transformations.”  
James gaped at Lily for a second, then turned around and kicked the garden wall of the house behind them.  
“Shit!” He yelled, raking his hands through his hair, effectively destroying it.  
James remembered all the times Remus had come back from the Shrieking Shack, pale and shaky, and still insisting on doing his nighttime patrols. Once he had collapsed on the way to their dorm room, but not after having finished showing around a group of first years.  
He had worked twice as hard as any other Prefect, but when it came down to it, all that mattered was his _furry little problem_. It had never seemed less funny to James.  
“It’s not fair.” Lily hugged him, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “But you refusing to become Head Boy won’t make Remus one. They’ll just end up picking someone else. And somehow I think he’d hate that even more.”  
They were quiet for a moment. “This sucks. But you’re right. If they make Bill Simmons Head Boy, Moony will never talk to me again.”  
With a sigh James offered Lily his arm, and they made their way over to the brightly lit house on the opposite side of the street.

Mary was just glancing down at her new rose-golden watch when the doorbell rang. With a smile she extricated herself from her guests to answer it.  
“Marlee!” She squealed, as she pulled the girl on her doorstep in for a hug. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t come!”  
“As if I would miss your seventeenth birthday!” Marlene handed over a small package. “Things were a bit tense at home, I just couldn’t get away that easily.”  
She added the last part quietly, not quite looking her friend in the eye.  
“Sammy’s told me some of it.” Mary put her arm around Marlene’s shoulder. “If it’s too much, you can come stay here, too, you know.”  
“Oh, I’m sure my brother would just love that!” Marlene grinned. “His sister getting in the way every time he tries to make a move…”  
“You’re grossly overestimating your brother’s moves, I think.”  
The girls looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing. Marlene felt some of the tension go out of her for the first time this summer.  
They went into the living room, where half of Hogwarts seemed to be assembled. With a start, Marlene realised she was one of the only people in robes. Nearly everyone else was wearing Muggle clothes.  
“I’m afraid all the seats and surfaces are taken.” Mary apologised. “But I can offer you a drink.”  
“A drink would be nice.” Marlene scanned the crowd for a familiar face. A pretty girl smiled at her as their eyes met. Marlene briefly wondered if she should recognise her from somewhere.  
“Here you go.” Mary handed her a butterbeer. “I believe Lily and the boys are in the garden if you want to go say hi.”  
Samuel appeared behind Mary and snake his arms around her waist.  
“There you are, I missed you.” He kissed Mary’s neck while Marlene made a gagging noise in her drink. “And I did _not_ miss you at all, Lena.”  
“Likewise, nerd.” She grinned at him and made her way to the back of the house, occasionally nodding and waving at fellow Hogwarts students. With relief, she recognised the Marauders’ loud voices coming through the open door, every now and then interrupted by Lily’s softer tones. They seemed to be in a heated discussion about Quidditch and … unicorns? At least some things never changed.  
“What a load of rubbish, unicorns can’t even fly!” Marlene grinned as she walked out to join them. “If you really want to make it more interesting, I’ve got one word for you: _dragons_.”  
This opened up a whole new world of possibilities, and the discussion eagerly veered into the possible advantages of different dragon breeds.  
“Well now you’ve done it, Marlee, we won’t hear the end of this for days.” Lily complained as she pulled her friend down on the grass beside her.  
“Nah don’t worry, I’ve got another one up my sleeve.” Marlene grinned as Lily raised her eyebrows. “So, any news from your sister?”  
Lily’s face fell. “No, she still refuses to come home. She says it’s because she’s so busy with her job, but we all know she just doesn’t want to see me.”  
“Your sister sucks,” Marlene said empathically.  
“I hate to say it, but she kind of does.” Lily agreed with a half-hearted grin. “But... she’s also the only sister I’ve got.”  
“I suppose you still have a chance to make it right, at least.” Marlene pulled her knees close to her chest and stared at her feet.  
“I know…” Lily trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. “How are things at home?”  
“Great.” Marlene answered evasively.  
“Marlene…”  
“It’s fine, Lily, don’t worry about it. Besides, in a few weeks we’ll be back at Hogwarts.” She looked away towards the boys and said loudly: “Forget I said dragons, imagine if we could play Quidditch on Thestrals! The fouls we’d be able to get away with…”  
With a sigh, Lily rested her chin on top of her knees, occasionally joining in the discussion, but mostly keeping her eyes on Marlene.  
Even though her friend acted lively and carefree, she looked wan and tired, and in the moments where she didn’t think anyone paid attention to her, she got a look of such profound sadness in her eyes that it made Lily’s heart ache for her. But she knew it would be futile to push Marlene. She’d never been much of a talker to begin with, and ever since Danny…   
With a sigh, Lily turned her attention back to the conversation, which had now strayed into the advantages of Hippogriffs over Thestrals.  
“At least you can see what you’re riding!” Sirius argued.  
“At least a Thestral won’t try to bite your head off for being impolite.”  
“Don’t worry. Your head is so big, not even a Hippogriff could bite it off, Potter.” Marlene threw one of her crisps at an outraged James, while Lily fought the giggles escaping from her mouth.  
Some days it was so easy to forget there was a war on.


	3. The Dark Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're forcibly reminded that there is indeed a war going on...  
> This took a bit of an unexpected dark turn!

"So, how did he do meeting the parents?"  
Sirius slung his arm around Lily as he dropped down on the ground beside her.  
"He did fine." Lily snuck a sideways glance at James. "They loved him."  
"Well, why wouldn't they?" Sirius said reasonably. “I trained him myself.”  
“God, you’re so full of yourself!” Lily snorted, poking Sirius in the ribs.  
“So when will you be coming over then? Prongs’ mum has been asking all week.”  
Lily turned to face him, a frown on her face.  
"Really? He hasn’t mentioned it.”  
“He’s probably hoping she’ll forget about it.” Sirius grinned. Seeing Lily’s look, he quickly continued: “Oh, nothing to do with you! He’s just scared she’ll bring out the photo-albums. If she does, you really must ask her to show you the ones from France when he was seven. Comedy gold. Euphemia says…”  
“What’s this you’re saying about my mum?” James stumbled into Sirius and dropped down on Lily’s other side.  
“Nothing, I was just telling Lily about the Pierrefonds pictures.”  
“You…!” James looked aghast. “You’re such a bloody traitor, Padfoot!”  
He dove across Lily’s lap, swinging at Sirius. Rather by accident, his fist connected full strength with Sirius’ face.  
“Ow, not the nose!” Sirius cried out, kicking his leg out at James.  
They were saved from further escalation by Mary appearing in the doorway.  
“If you guys are quite finished, there’s cake inside.”  
With a long look at James and Sirius, she turned on her heel and headed back inside.  
Lily, who was still caught in the middle of the two boys, squirmed her way out into a standing position. Flashing back to her short-lived career as a babysitter, she said sternly: “ Come here, Sirius, I’ll fix your nose.”  
Reluctantly, he dropped his hand away from his face, and with two flicks of Lily’s wand, his nose was returned to normal.  
Taking a hand mirror out of his pocket he scrutinised her work. “Well done, Evans! I think you made me even more handsome than I already was.”  
This earned him groans all around. With an amused shake of her head, Lily held out her hand to James.  
“Overreacting, much? Now I definitely need to see those photographs.”  
“I’ll burn them first thing when I get home.”  
“You wouldn’t!” Lily giggled, hooking her arm through his. “I’ll just have to ask Sirius to save them for me.”  
“I’m not liking this dynamic.” James wagged his finger at Sirius and Lily. “The two of you always ganging up on me…”  
They were still laughing when they made their way inside, where a large frosted cake was being cut and handed around.  
Mary made her way over to them, an array of plates levitating behind her.  
“Let’s sit down before all the seats are taken again.” She said, steering them towards the dining room table.  
With a wave of her wand, the plates lightly touched down in front of each person.  
“Merlin, it feels good to be able to do that!” Mary grinned, pleased with herself. “My parents have been away since last week, so I’ve had to get by without magic for nearly _nine_ days. I thought I would go mad!”  
“Aren’t you already, though?” Marlene grinned, high-fiving Sirius, who mouthed “Nice one, McKinnon.”  
“Leave her alone, Marlee, it’s her birthday.” Lily chided. “Besides, we’ve known Mary was crazy since she tried to go skinny dipping in the Great Lake last Christmas.”  
“You did what?!” The boys cried out, while Mary yelled at Lily “You swore we’d never mention that again!”  
“I don’t think the Giant Squid has recovered from the sight, the poor dear.” Marlene added, remembering the night with glee.  
The boys were clamouring for details, while Mary swore her friends to secrecy, and the conversation had gotten so loud that it took them a few moments too long to realise the rest of the room had gone awfully quiet.  
It was only when one of the younger girls started screaming, that the people around the table noticed everyone was gathered at the windows, their expressions ranging from shock to outright terror.  
Scrambling to get to a window, Sirius felt his stomach drop as he saw the green luminescence of a Dark Mark reflect off the nearest kids’ faces. Knowing there was nothing he could do, but not being able to do nothing, he elbowed his way outside.  
The first thing he noticed was that the Mark hadn’t actually been set over the house he’d just stepped out of, but the one attached to its left side.  
The second thing was the unhinged door and unnatural quiet that seemed to come from the dark doorway.  
Steeling himself, he stepped over the low hedge dividing the two front yards and made his way over to the house.  
“Careful, they might still be inside.” Remus’ low voice sounded behind him.  
Glancing back, Sirius saw Mary and Peter had followed them out. James seemed to be herding the panicking people back into the house, with limited success.  
Nodding to Remus, Sirius moved towards the front door, his wand held aloft.  
When he entered the dark hallway, a sense of foreboding seemed to permeate the air. Not daring to call out, Sirius quietly made his way over to the first door on the right.  
It opened into a cozy but deserted living room. As he stepped back to close the door, Sirius’ eye fell on a bunch of toys, hastily pushed out of sight in the corner.  
With his insides turning to ice, he shut the door. Peter signalled that the room opposite was empty as well.  
Slowly they made their way to the door at the back of the hall. Opening it up, Sirius thought for a moment that there was no one in the kitchen either. Perhaps the family who lived here had managed to escape after all.  
But then he noticed a hand, clutched around what looked almost like a doll’s arm, protruding from behind the kitchen table, and he quickly turned back, stomach heaving.  
“Don’t, McDonald.” He grabbed her shoulders and turned her away from the door. “You don’t want to see this.”  
Mary’s eyes filled with tears, but her lower lip jutted out defiantly.  
“They’re my neighbours. They need my help...” She trailed off as she saw Sirius’ face harden.  
“They’re beyond help, Mary.” Remus spoke gently, but there was a cold fury in his eyes that Mary had never imagined possible.  
She turned away from the boys, not wanting to stay in this house any longer, when Peter called out from the stairwell.  
“There’s someone upstairs.”  
Hearts beating fast, Sirius and Remus joined their friend on the stairs. When he saw Mary was still following them, Sirius turned to her and whispered: “We could really use James right now, can you please go get him?”  
Relieved to be given a way out of the house, Mary nodded and left quietly.  
The boys turned their attention back to the top of the stairs.  
“Wormtail, can you scout ahead?” Remus suggested.  
With only a fraction of hesitation, Peter straightened his shoulders and shrank in on himself, until the only thing left in his place was a large brown rat.  
Whiskers twitching, it scurried up the stairs. Remus and Sirius waited tensely as they heard the rat’s paws scrabbling against the floors upstairs.  
Then a sudden yell, followed by a door banging open had them crashing up the stairs.  
“Wormtail?!” Sirius bellowed, the light of his wand swinging across the dark landing.  
“Here…” Peter’s voice sounded tinny and strange, and as he stepped into the light of Sirius’ wand, he was pale and shaking. Before either of his friends could ask him what had happened he doubled over, retching up the contents of his stomach.  
As Remus went over to Peter, James came bounding up the stairs.  
“Wormy? Are you alright? Is he hurt?”  
“‘M… fine…” Peter said thickly.  
“What happened?” Sirius asked, still checking their surroundings for whatever had attacked Peter.  
Unable to speak, Peter pointed a shaking hand towards the open door on his left.  
Carefully his friends moved towards the room. As James pushed open the door with his foot, a sharp intake of breath sounded behind him. The light of their wands reflected off the dripping walls, and a burning Phoenix painted in blood above the bed.

“Leave her alone, Marlee, it’s her birthday.” Lily said, before adding with a wicked grin: “Besides, we’ve known Mary was crazy since she tried to go skinny dipping in the Great Lake last Christmas.”  
“You swore we’d never mention that again!” Mary cried, shooting her friend an outraged look.  
“I don’t think the Giant Squid has recovered from the sight, poor dear.” Marlene grinned, drowning out the requests for details from the boys.  
“Don’t say another word, either of you!” Mary implored. Lily was about to reassure her when she noticed three people getting up and running to the front window. With a frown she turned back to her friends, but her intended question was cut off by a girl’s scream.  
Her heart beating fast, Lily made her way to the nearest window. A bright green skull, a snake protruding from its mouth, hung high in the sky above them.  
The first scream seemed to have set off a panic because by now everyone was yelling and crying, shoving each other out of the way in an attempt to get to the fireplace. A few of the over-age wizards were Disapparating, not bothering to take any of the younger children with them.  
“I have to go see… Sarah and Will…” Mary ran outside, catching up with Sirius and Remus.  
Lily thought about following her, but looking at the panicked people running around the house and front yard, some of them barely fifteen years old, Lily felt they needed her more.  
“We need to get everyone out.” She turned to James. “It might not be safe, they could decide to come here next.”  
“I’ll see if I can round up the ones outside.” James nodded, quickly kissing her cheek as he ran outside.  
Marlene’s face was stony as she and Lily made their way down the hallway.  
“Everyone, calm down!” Lily called out, but no one seemed to hear her. “We’ll get you all home, just try to stay calm.”  
“This isn’t working.” Marlene grunted, as she was pushed aside by two girls. “Don’t go outside, what are you going to do, walk home?!”  
They ignored her and ran through the open door. About twelve people were still packed in the living room, trying to use the Floo Network to get home. The pot containing Floo Powder had been smashed in the melee, however, and no one could scrape enough out off the carpet to actually get anywhere. Samuel was trying to get them to form a line, but most of them were ignoring him.  
“Alright, everyone SHUT UP!” James bellowed, moving past Lily and Marlene to stand on top of a chair. “SHUT UP AND LISTEN!”  
A surprised hush fell, one boy had frozen with his hand above the fire, a thin stream of powder trickling into the flames.  
“Thank you.” James intoned. “The Knight Bus has been called, and will be here any second. Those of you who wish to take it home can _quietly_ make your way outside. For the others: there isn’t enough Floo Powder to get you home, but there might just be enough to send a Fire Message to your family.”  
After some muttering and indecision, they unanimously seemed to decide that getting out of here quickly was more important and they made their way to the front door.  
“Marlene, Samuel, can you try to contact your dad?” Lily asked as she followed the stragglers out.  
“I’ll help you collect enough powder.” James offered.  
When she’d seen everyone safely on the Knight Bus, Lily returned inside.  
“Where’s James?” She frowned, looking from Marlene to Mary, who was now standing where she’d left her boyfriend only a minute ago.  
“The boys asked for him.” Mary explained. “They think there’s still someone in the house.”  
“Oh.” Lily had to stop herself from sprinting over to the house. Trying to distract herself, she asked: “How are your neighbours?”  
Mary shook her head, the little blood that had still been in her face draining out of it.  
“God, I’m so sorry.” Lily clamped her hand to her mouth, horrified. “Didn’t they have a little boy?”  
“Thomas.” Mary choked, tears streaming down her face. “It was his birthday last week.”  
“That’s great, but could one of you please take me home?” A thin-faced boy asked loudly. He had somehow missed the Bus, and seemed to hold them personally responsible for it.  
“Fuck’s sake.” Marlene muttered, grabbing him roughly while turning away. They blinked out of existence, and almost instantly Marlene came back alone.  
“Where did you take him? Do you even know where he lives?” Lily frowned.  
“He’ll have to find his own way home. Rude little runt.” Seeing the look on Mary’s face, she added: “Oh come on, I know he’s your guest but that was out of line! I dropped him off at the Leaky Cauldron, his parents can pick him up there if they want.”  
“That temper of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days Lena.” Samuel put his arm around Mary. “Dad’s got the message, he’s bringing the Aurors in a minute.”  
“Thank you.” Mary squeezed his hand gratefully. She turned her tear-stained face into his shoulder.  
Lily turned to look at the house next door. If it hadn’t been for the glaring mark above it, the house would have looked peaceful, with its neat flower beds and awned front door.  
She saw a figure coming out of the side door, and as he stepped out of the shadows, the green glare of the Dark Mark illuminated his face.  
With a gasp, Lily motioned to Mary. “Isn’t that Cecil?”  
Lily had stayed over with Mary last summer, and they’d spent an afternoon at the man’s house, eating biscuits and talking plants. A few months later they had met again, this time on opposite sides of a battle.  
Mary joined Lily at the window and stiffened. “Yes, it is.”  
She turned away sharply, and before anyone could stop her, ran after him.  
“Shit!” Lily followed her as fast as she could.  
“Cecil Rowe, you bastard!” Mary screamed, pulling her wand on him. “What had they ever done to you?”  
“These things don’t concern you, girl. Get back inside.” He hissed, drawing his own wand.  
Lily joined Mary’s side, ready to cast a Protection Charm over her.  
“How does this not concern me? Sarah and Will were my friends. They were _your_ friends!” Mary’s voice broke.  
“They were Blood traitors, and if you’re not careful, your family will end up just like them. Consorting with the likes of her.” He nodded at Lily derisively.  
“If you threaten my friend again, you will learn exactly what the _likes of me_ are capable of.” Lily promised, her voice remarkably steady.  
Ignoring her, the man continued: “It’s not too late to change sides, Mary dear. Your blood is pure, you would be welcomed with open arms. Don’t waste your life on a mistaken sense of loyalty.”  
“You mean like Tommy’s life is wasted?” Mary spat. “He was four! I don’t suppose his blood was pure enough to be welcomed with open arms?”  
“That wasn’t my fault, the boy got in the way.” Cecil turned defensive. “My problem is with the Order.”  
“The Aurors will be here any minute, you can explain exactly what your problem is on the way to Azkaban.” Lily said coldly.  
“I don’t think so.” He grinned. “Goodbye now, Mary.”  
Taking a step back he started to Disapparate. With a cry of rage, Mary sprang forward. Seeing what her friend was planning a second too late, Lily only managed to grab hold of her sleeve, and both girls were pulled along into suffocating darkness.


	4. Bloody Mary

“And you’re sure you didn’t see anyone entering or leaving?” The grey-haired Auror asked for the third time.  
“No. I only came in here later. My friends had already checked downstairs, so I came straight up. I didn’t see anyone, apart from them.”  
“And then you went into the bedroom…”  
“And I saw the man… William, you called him? And the.. the blood on the wall.” James tried hard not to remember the smell or sight of the room too clearly.  
“Do you know what it means? The sign on the wall?” The Auror had asked the same question twice before, but he seemed determined to catch James in a lie.  
“It’s a Phoenix. Other than that, I can’t tell you anything about it.” James repeated.  
“So you’ve never heard of an organisation calling themselves the Order of the Phoenix?” The man pushed.  
“No.” James frowned at the unfamiliar name. “Should I have?”  
“Do you know if the couple living here had any ties to such an organisation?”  
“I _never met_ these people. Like I said, I was at a party next door.”  
“Fine.” The Auror sighed heavily. “You may go back to your friends, after my assistant has taken down your details.”  
A young man, who looked barely older than James himself, came over carrying a notebook.  
Struggling for patience, James repeated his name and address again, and then ran out of the house, eager to put as much distance between it and himself as possible. He found Remus pacing up and down Mary’s front yard, occasionally looking up at the Marked house.  
“Finally let you out, did they?” He sat down on the garden wall for a second before getting up again. “They’ve been hounding Sirius for ages. Once they found out he’s a Black they didn't hear anything else.”  
“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” James said quietly, trying to reassure himself as much as Remus. “We were with him the whole time, they can’t accuse him of anything.”  
“They sure seem to be trying hard enough.” Remus muttered angrily.  
“D’you want me to wait with you for a while?” James asked, moving over to the wall.  
Remus seemed to deliberate it for a moment, then nodded gratefully.  
They sat down side by side, trying not to think about what was happening inside the house.  
Remus jumped up the moment the door opened, and Sirius walked straight into his arms, the two boys clinging together for a few heartbeats.  
“I’m fine.” Sirius murmured, pulling back from Remus.  
James stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.  
Peter, who had followed Sirius out of the house, looked shaken but still managed a weak smile. “Very convincing Padfoot.”  
For a moment, the four boys pulled together like magnets, then turned around at a commotion outside the McDonald’s house.  
“What’s going on there?” James asked.  
“No idea…” Sirius started to say, but he was cut off by Samuel McKinnon's panicked voice.  
"Mary!"

She was going to die. Mary felt the endless darkness press in on her from all sides. She recognized the feeling of Apparating from class, but where it was supposed to lessen and disappear after a second, it seemed to grow heavier every moment.  
She focused on the feeling of Lily's hand around her arm, glad for the reassurance. At least she wouldn't be dying alone.  
With relief, she suddenly felt the pressure lift, while at the same time Lily's grip seemed to slip away.  
Gasping, Mary stumbled forward, the anger that had made her grab onto Cecil momentarily forgotten in the panic of her malfunctioning lungs. Dismayed, she saw him stumble to a stop a few paces away and then disappear around a corner, but she could no longer muster the energy to go after him.  
Supporting herself against a wall of the alley they'd landed in, she suddenly noticed smears of blood on the sleeve of her blouse. Alarmed, she checked herself for injuries, but found none. Suddenly becoming aware of her friend's silence, she turned around.  
"Oh no! No, no, no. Please no!" Her breath came in sharp, fast gasps she couldn't seem to control as she fell down on her knees next to Lily's still form.  
"No, no, no, no…" She repeated the word over and over and over again, as she took in the Splinched right sight of Lily's body. She pushed her hands against the biggest wounds, but only succeeded in drenching herself in more blood. "I don't know what to do… Please, Lily, I don't… I can't… I don't…"  
Hot tears dripped down her cheeks as she tried to remember a spell that could heal this type of wounds.  
"Get… help.." Lily croaked, as she turned her head to the side painfully.  
"Oh, you're awake. Oh, thank Merlin!" Mary sobbed. "Right, I'll get us out of here. I know how to Apparate, if you just hold…"  
"NO!" Lily urged Mary to look at her. "No… Will make… worse…"  
"But how… I can't leave you here!" Mary exclaimed, a hysterical note creeping into her tone. "What if someone finds you, I can't…"  
"Give… My wand…" Lily flexed her left hand towards the wand that had rolled out of her grip as she'd fallen. "Now… _Please_... Get help."  
Mary could tell it was costing her to speak, and though she hated having to leave her friend defenceless and alone, she also didn't want to waste time arguing while Lily’s life was slowly bleeding out of her.  
Taking a fortifying breath, she got up, conjured the most powerful Disillusionment Charm she could muster, and with a firm nod to Lily, turned on the spot and Disapparated.  
As she turned up at her house, she noticed with relief that the place was crawling with Aurors. She noticed James standing off to one side, conferring with his friends, the boys closing ranks as they always did in times of crisis.  
"Mary!" She looked around to see Samuel coming her way, closely followed by his father and sister. Under any other circumstances, she would have been delighted to see the look of relief and love on his face, but right now it couldn't penetrate the haze of panic that still surrounded her.  
She ran to Mr McKinnon, ignoring the enquiries of everyone else around her.  
"I need a Healer and an Auror to come with me, right now."  
"What happened?" Mr McKinnon asked, sharp and business-like.  
"I don't have time to explain!" Mary cried. "I need a Healer, NOW! Lily is dying."  
This seemed to make him grasp the urgency of the situation.  
"Basil, there's a Healer examining the bodies, get him here. Quick!" Turning back to Mary, he asked: "Where is your friend?"  
Mary told him what she knew as the man named Basil came back with a green-robed Healer. Mr McKinnon sent them on their way in a few concise words.  
"Alright, there's no need for you to go with them, miss McDonald. I'd like to hear what happened to you."  
Mary was steered into her own home and sagged down on a chair, suddenly shaking and weak.  
" Can't this wait, dad?" Samuel asked, having followed them inside. "She's obviously in shock."  
"I'm afraid it can't. I'm sorry, Miss, I promise to keep it short."  
He asked her about the events of the night, starting with the appearance of the Dark Mark.  
"Did you see who might have cast it?"  
"I didn't _see_ him do it, but it was Cecil Rowe." Mary felt her anger level rise again. "He used to live across the street, but ever since his wife died he's been more and more unstable. _He's a Death Eater_."  
"Did you know whether Mr and Mrs Waters were involved in any political organizations?" Mr McKinnon continued, ignoring her comment.  
"No, not that I know of. Did you hear what I said about Cecil?"  
"So what did you do when you saw the Dark Mark?"  
Gritting her teeth in frustration Mary recounted what had happened inside the house.  
"And after I'd returned here I saw Cecil come out of the back door -" She pointed out the left hand window. “- and I ran outside to stop him. When I saw he was trying to escape I grabbed his arm, and Lily grabbed mine and we both..."  
Mary paused for a second, remembering. "We got pulled along as he tried to Disapparate, but something went wrong. It was almost like we got stuck or something… the darkness didn't lift but seemed to get worse… And it just wouldn't stop…"  
"He must have changed his mind once realised he brought you along." Mr McKinnon deduced. "If he is a Death Eater, as you claim, he might not have wished to bring you along to an important location."  
“But you can’t change your mind once you’re Apparating.” Marlene, who had walked into the room unheard, frowned. “That’s one of the first things they teach you.”  
“You’re not supposed to.” Mr McKinnon agreed. “But it can happen, though it usually ends badly. You’re lucky you made it out alive, Mary.”  
"Lily wasn't so lucky." Mary muttered, feeling sick again. "She got Splinched. Cecil, he just took off... and I'm no good at healing spells, and I didn't know what to do… I tried to bring her along via Side-Along Apparition-" Mary explained, needing them to understand she hadn't just abandoned her friend. "-but she didn't want me to, said it would make it worse..."  
“You did the right thing.” Mr McKinnon assured her. “You made sure she got the help she needs.”  
Samuel shot his dad a grateful look over the top of Mary’s head.  
“That will be all for tonight, though it is possible I or one of my colleagues will be along in the next few days to ask a few more questions. Is there anyone you can stay with? Or anyone who can stay here with you?”  
“My parents should be back tomorrow. And Samuel’s staying here..” Mary blushed, suddenly remembering this was her boyfriend’s father she was talking to.  
“Er.. right.” Mr McKinnon grunted, equally uncomfortable. “Well, goodbye then.”  
Getting up, he motioned to his children to follow him outside.

“Lily is dying!”  
Mary’s anguished cry cut through the din like a knife, and Sirius had to forcibly restrain James from running at her to demand an explanation.  
He focused on Mary’s words in an attempt to distract himself from the feeling of horror sweeping through him. Lily was his friend, and he had come to rely on her more than he’d have thought possible. But more than anything, he did not want to imagine what it would do to James if something happened to her.  
“Go to Warwick Street, in the alley opposite the theatre. The girl is glamoured, so you’ll have to use a Detection Charm.” Marlene’s father told a young man in lime-green robes.  
With a nod, the Healer held out his arm to the Auror’s Assistant, and Disapparated.  
As Mr McKinnon led Mary and Samuel inside, Marlene turned to the Marauders.  
“You heard him. Warwick Street. Go.” She looked at them fiercely. “She’ll need you to be there for her.”  
With a nod, Sirius released his hold on James and held out his hand. James, Peter and then Remus placed their hands on top of it, and with a painful lurch, they Apparated in the mouth of a dingy little alley. A few Muggles were walking on the other side of the street, but otherwise the village looked deserted.  
Hurrying down to the end of the alley, they heard the Assistant Auror call “Finite Incantatem!” and a terrible scene was revealed.  
Large chunks of flesh were missing from the right side of Lily’s body. A pool of blood had formed underneath her, and Sirius knew with a sickening certainty that no one could survive that sort of blood loss.  
As the Auror kneeled down beside her, Sirius turned to James, hoping to spare him the sight, wishing to _somehow_ save him from this moment.  
But a strangled cry had already escaped his best friend as he stumbled towards Lily.  
“Prongs…” Remus put out his hand towards James helplessly. “You should let the Healer work.”  
“What are you doing to help her?” James asked, surprising his friends with his level of coherence.  
“I’m trying to stabilise her enough to get her to St Mungo’s.” The Healer said, not taking his eyes off Lily, his wand working in a continuous circular pattern up and down her body. “She’ll need the help of several Healers if she’s to stand a chance.”  
“I think you should take her to my mother.” James said, and Sirius felt his spirits lift as this new idea took hold. “She can save her.”  
“This girl is close to death!” The Healer snapped. “She needs a lot more than some old wives’ remedy!”  
“His mother is Euphemia Woodhouse-Potter. You might have heard of her?” Sirius snapped back. "St. Mungo's longest-serving Head Healer of the past two centuries?"  
The Healer looked up at Sirius in surprise. “You’re joking!”  
“He’s not.” James said, then added sharply. “Don’t stop!”  
The Healer hastily started moving his wand again, and said: “Alright. If your mother really is Euphemia Potter, let’s take the girl there. Can you all gather around her, please? We’ll need to Apparate at exactly the same time, no hesitation, or we run the risk of Splinching her further.”  
The matter-of-fact way the wizard said this made Sirius’ stomach churn. Surely she wouldn’t survive being Splinched any further than this?  
He joined the others, pushing his hands underneath her legs so he could lift her. Remus did the same on her other side, while Peter, the Healer and the Auror’s Assistant supported her torso and James gently cradled Lily’s head.  
“Are you sure you’re making the right call, Radley?” The Assistant Auror asked uncertainly. “Wouldn’t it be safer to take her to St Mungo’s?”  
The Healer shook his head. “It’s a Sunday night, it’ll take at least half an hour to gather enough Healers, and I’m not sure she’s got that long.”  
He looked at Lily’s worsening colour and added: “On three!”  
Sirius secured his hold on Lily’s legs, and looked up at Remus. He saw his own determination and worry reflected in his boyfriend’s gaze before they closed their eyes and turned.

Mr and Mrs Potter had just removed to their sitting room, determined to wait for their sons’ return before going to bed when they heard a commotion outside their front door.  
Recognizing James’ voice, they hurried outside. A motley group of wizards stood on their doorstep, their son at the front.  
“Mum! I need your help. Please.”  
She had never heard her son sound so desperate, and the reason for his grief became clear as her eyes moved to the shape the little group was carrying.  
“Bring her inside.” Euphemia felt a familiar calm come over her. She directed the men into the study, where she kept her stock of healing herbs and potions. Though she hadn’t been an active Healer for over a decade, it had seemed wise to keep her cabinets filled, what with her brash young son and his group of accident-prone friends.  
After laying the girl down on the table, Euphemia directed the young Healer to her supply cabinet, telling him which things to hand over as she started to work.  
“Monty?” She spoke to her husband, not breaking focus. “Please, take the boys outside.”

_Monday, 1 August 1977_  
“Shh, don’t try to move just yet.”  
A soft hand gently held her in place, as Lily struggled to take in her surroundings. She was lying in a bed in what seemed to be someone’s study. One side of the room was filled with books, while the other was dominated by a large potion’s cabinet.  
An older woman with tired blue eyes was smiling kindly at her from a chair beside the bed.  
“What happened?” Lily tried to say, but her voice came out as an unintelligible rasp.  
After the woman had given her some water to drink, she tried again.  
“What happened?”  
“I’m afraid I don’t quite know. I believe you got Splinched - quite badly, I might add - when my son brought you to me.”  
“Your son?” Lily looked at the woman with renewed interest.  
“Of course, please forgive me, it’s been a long night.” She smiled, and something about the way her eyes crinkled looked familiar to Lily. “I’m Euphemia Potter, James’ mother. Despite the circumstances, I’m _very_ happy to finally meet you.”  
Lily felt her face flame in mortification as she surreptitiously tried to take stock of her appearance. She had imagined meeting James’ parents, somewhere in the future, when she was prepared and dressed for it. Not when she was half-dead and bleeding all over the carpet.  
“I’m going to kill James.” She muttered, eliciting a surprised laugh from Euphemia. “This is not how I would have wanted to meet you, Mrs Potter.”  
“Don’t worry about that! And don’t be too hard on James, he was right to bring you here.” Euphemia said fiercely. “I don’t know what they teach those young Healers these days, but most of that new-fangled spell-work is nothing compared to some good old-fashioned potions and draughts.”  
She looked slightly annoyed as she redressed a bandage, and Lily found herself liking her already.  
“So you healed me?”  
“You’re not quite healed yet.” Mrs Potter corrected. “You’ll have to stay in bed for at least another day.”  
“Thank you.” Lily said, sincerity clear in her voice as she put her hand on Euphemia’s.  
“It’s the least I could do. After Whitehall.” Euphemia explained, squeezing Lily's hand in return. “I spoke to my son’s Healer. Without your help, he would not have made it. So I’m glad I got to repay the debt.”  
Getting up, she smoothed out her robes, and added: “You should rest now. I’ll go update the boys on how you’re doing.”  
“Thank you.” Lily said again, gratefully closing her eyes and falling in a deep sleep.

The next time she opened her eyes, four boys were standing around her bed, whispering furiously amongst themselves, until one of them realized she was awake.  
“Well look who’s back among the living!” Sirius exclaimed. “It’s good to see you, Evans.”  
“How are you feeling?” Remus asked.  
“I’ve been better. But all things considered, I’m doing fine.”  
James looked at her closely, searching her face for signs of pain, so she repeated: “I’m fine.”  
A little of the tension seemed to leave James, and he moved closer so he could hold her hand.  
“You had us all worried there for a second.” He told her. “I was sure I was going to have to avenge your death.”  
The joke fell flat as his voice broke on the last word. Stroking his cheek, eyes full of compassion, Lily told him: “I’m not going anywhere. No avenging required.”  
Looking at the other boys, she smiled. “You’re all stuck with me.”  
“Likewise.” Peter grinned, as Sirius made a hurling noise before fist-bumping Lily’s uninjured hand.  
“We’re glad to have you back, Lily.” Remus smiled.  
“So, now that I’m here…” Lily looked from James to Sirius. “Do I get to see those pictures?”


	5. The Last Will and Testament of Alphard Black

_Thursday, 4 August 1977_  
At the end of Lily’s three-day stay, Mr and Mrs Potter were completely besotted with their son’s girlfriend. So much so, that Sirius was almost glad to see her leave.  
“It’s all _‘Lily this’_ and _‘Lily that’_ , you’d think the rest of us are invisible!” He complained to Remus.  
The two of them were lounging on Sirius’ bed, while the three Potters were accompanying Lily to Mary’s, from where she would go home, pretending she’d had an extended sleepover with the girls.  
“Are you jealous, Padfoot?” Remus teased. “I’m sure they still love you best, not to worry.”  
Sirius was about to retort when the doorbell rang. Sitting up, the boys both reached for their wands.  
“I swear, if it’s another Auror...” Remus looked angry.  
“You’d think they’d give up after a while, but I guess they can’t believe a Black and a Dark Mark coinciding is just an unlucky accident.” With a wry grin, Sirius added: “Can’t say I blame them.”  
“Well, _I_ do.”  
As Sirius opened the door, he did think it was another Auror at first. Everything about the witch screamed Ministry official, from the tightly pulled back hair to the pressed grey robes and the severe look on her face.  
“Are you Mr Black, Sirius?” She asked, consulting the front of the letter she was holding.  
“Yes.” Sirius was wondering about the contents of that letter, sure it wouldn’t be anything good, when Remus stepped up behind him.  
“You know you’re the fourth person this week they’ve sent to question him. And each time you have to admit that you’ve got nothing on him. So wouldn’t it be simpler on everyone if you just… gave up?”  
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” She looked at Remus for a second, before refocusing on Sirius. “May I come in?”  
As he led her to the sitting room, his mind churned with possibilities. _Somehow they had found out he was an unregistered Animagus. His parents had sent the Ministry to drag him back home. The incident with the Muggle police had been reported and he would be charged with breaking the Statute of Secrecy…_  
It came as quite a relief, therefore, when the woman said: “I wish to offer you my condolences on the passing of your uncle, Alphard Black. He has named you as the sole benefactor of his will, which I have come to discuss with you.”  
Sirius had been rather fond of uncle Alphard as a child, but he hadn’t seen him since leaving for Hogwarts. He certainly hadn’t realized his uncle’s regard for him ran deep enough to be left anything.  
“How did he pass?” Sirius asked. “I’m afraid I haven’t been in contact with any of my family in quite some time.”  
“Scrofungulus, I believe.” The witch looked down at her papers to hide her distaste. “Now for the will, perhaps it would be best to discuss this in private?”  
Sirius put his hand out to stop Remus from getting up.  
“Please, continue.”  
With a pinched face, the witch opened up the letter and read:

> _  
> To my nephew, Sirius Arcturus Black,  
>  I leave the sum of 520,000 Galleons, 78,000 Sickles and 1 Knut,  
>  so that he need never rely on my sister for charity;  
>  The use of my Gringot’s vault,  
>  to store such items as he deems valuable;  
>  The contents of my library,  
>  which he admired as a child and which may broaden his mind;  
>  and my best wishes:  
>  it was a privilege to have at least one family member worth knowing.  
>  _

Sirius felt quietly touched by the closing statement, and it wasn’t until a few moments after the witch had stopped reading that the rest of the contents registered with him.  
“How… how much did you say he’s leaving me?”  
“520,000 Galleons, 78,000 Sickles and one Knut.” The woman repeated, referring back to the will.  
Sirius let out a long breath. With that kind of money he could buy a house. Merlin’s beard, he could probably buy three! He no longer had to worry about being a burden to the Potter’s, he could repay them tenfold. He need never ask his parents for another Knut!  
“The contents of your uncle’s library are still being audited, but you can pick them up from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office next week. Do you have any questions?”  
Sirius shook his head, still numb. If he bought a house, his brother could come to live with him. Regulus would no longer have to stay with their parents and be poisoned by their lies.  
Noticing Sirius’ preoccupation, Remus let the witch out. He paused before going back into the sitting room, taking care to school his features in a neutral mask. He had always known Sirius’ family was rich, but up until this moment, he hadn’t realized quite _how_ rich. Or quite how enormous the difference in their backgrounds was. It felt to Remus like one more unwelcome reminder of all the ways he would never be good enough for Sirius.  
Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he walked in and sat back down next to Sirius, who was still staring mutely into space.  
“So…” Remus started.  
“So.” Sirius agreed. “Well, done, Moony.”  
Seeing Remus’ confused glance, Sirius grinned wide and added: “For landing yourself a wealthy man.”  
Remus’ laugh sounded strained even to his own ears, so he quickly asked: “What are you going to do with all of that money?”  
“Get my brother out.”  
“Always thinking about others, aren’t you?” Remus squeezed Sirius’ hand, feeling guilty for his own uncharitable thoughts.  
“I learned from the best.” Sirius smiled, leaning into Remus for a second. “Alright, no time like the present.”  
“Do you want me to come with you?” Remus offered, already knowing what the answer would be.  
“Thanks, but I think I need to do this alone.” With a quick peck he left, leaving Remus alone in the Potter’s drawing room, staring morosely at Alphard Black’s will.

“Bye!” Lily waved at her two friends from the doorway, waiting until they had disappeared at the corner of the street before closing the door. Mindful of her mother’s close scrutiny she made sure not to show any pain or discomfort on her face as she turned around.  
“So…” Mrs Evans started.  
“So?” Lily asked innocently.  
“Aren’t you a bit too old for sleepovers?”  
“You’re never too old to have fun with your friends.”  
Lily made her way to the stairs.  
“And I suppose you expect me to believe that you were staying with those girls all this time? And not with a certain bespectacled youth?”  
With a deep sigh, Lily paused, her hand on the railing. She hated having to lie to her mother.  
“Good God, mum, I haven’t seen James since Sunday. What exactly are you suggesting?”  
Put on the spot, a light blush crept into her mother’s cheeks.  
“You know full well what I’m suggesting, Lily Evans! And I won’t have it. You’re too young, and as long as you’re living under my roof…”  
“I’m legally of age.” Lily reminded her fiercely.  
She had expected her mother to retort with equal fervor, but to Lily’s surprise her mother’s eyes filled with tears. For a moment she just stood there, unsure what to do, but then she went over to her mother and hugged her.  
“What’s all this, then, mum?” She asked, rubbing the older woman’s back in confusion.  
“I’m just-… being silly.” Mrs Evans sobbed, hugging her youngest daughter tight. “You girls grew up s-… so fast, and-...I just-” She heaved a deep breath, composing herself, and pulled back to look at Lily’s face. “I want you to be happy, and I do like James. Just make sure that you live your life for yourself, too, alright? You have so much potential. Don’t waste it by making a choice you can never come back from.”  
Mrs Evans’ thoughts turned for a moment to her own youth, and the opportunities that had been lost due to a hasty marriage and a budding bump.  
“I won’t, I’ll be smart.” Lily promised her. Then she added with a wink: “And if I’m not smart, I’ll be safe.”  
With a hiccuping laugh, Mrs Evans released her daughter, who gratefully made her way upstairs. Though she was feeling much improved, tight hugs were still painful to her wounds, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she lay down on her bed.  
“Are you alright? I can get you more pain relief if you need it.”  
Lily smiled to herself with her eyes closed. “I’m fine. You, however, will not be if my mum finds you in my room.”  
“I thought your mum liked me?” James grinned, sitting down on the window sill.  
“She did.” Lily agreed. “Until you seduced me into sin, that is.”  
“I did _what_?”  
Giggling at James’ look of utter confusion, she explained: “She thinks we’ve been off having sex for the past three days.”  
Flushing bright red with sudden understanding, James looked away quickly, casting about for a change of subject.  
“Right, well..." His voice came out rather squeaky. He cleared his throat and continued: "My dad got a reply from his friend at the Ministry today. No one’s heard of the Order of the Phoenix. Or if they have, they’re not talking about it.”  
“Well, that’s hardly a surprise, is it?” Lily said quietly. “After what happened to the Waters?”  
They had discussed the details of what happened at length over the past few days, picking over the details for clues. The Aurors seemed determined to write it off as an isolated incident, a neighbour gone mad.  
“Maybe someone at school will know something.” James mused. “Someone’s parents must have heard something and mentioned it at home…”  
Tired, and not relishing the idea of rehashing the same argument for the hundredth time, Lily ostentatiously yawned and patted the bed.  
“Can we just rest for a moment, please?”  
“Just don’t tell your mother.” James winked, lying down next to her, careful not to touch her side.  
Lily made an exaggerated zipping motion over her lips, before turning her face into his chest and falling into a fitful sleep.

Looking up at 12 Grimauld Place for the first time since he’d left it for good, Sirius felt a cold shiver run up his spine.  
A minute passed, and then another. He willed himself to move, but he seemed frozen to the spot. When the front door opened he tensed, reaching for his wand, only to lower his hand again when he recognized his brother.  
“What are you doing here, Sirius?” Regulus asked brusquely. “Mother will be home any second!”  
“I had to see you.”  
“Why? You’ve hardly said a word to me the past twelve months.” Regulus tried but failed to hide the hurt in his voice.  
“I’m sorry.” Sirius pleaded. “But I’ll make it up to you. I’ve come to get you out, Reg. Uncle Alphard’s left me some money, we can get a house…”  
He trailed off at his brother’s hopeless expression.  
“You’re too late.” Regulus shook his head desperately. “You’re too late, it’s too late…”  
“Don’t say that! It’s never too late to turn away from this hatred. It’s all lies, I know you know that, Reg!”  
“It doesn’t matter, alright?” He cried, clasping his hand around his lower arm. “You’re too late.”  
“You didn’t…?” Sirius felt the blood leave his face as he stepped forward, reaching for his brother’s sleeve. He hadn’t stopped to wonder why Regulus was wearing long robes in the middle of summer.  
“I did.” Regulus roughly pulled back his sleeve, revealing a black skull inked into the milky skin of his left arm.  
“Why?” Sirius looked into his brother’s face, aghast. “Why would you do this?”  
“You think I had a choice?” Regulus bit back tears. “You have no idea what the past year has been like. You left and never looked back, while I had to pick up the pieces.”  
“Reg, I…”  
“No.” Regulus cut him off. “It’s too late. You abandoned me, and I am doing what I have to in order to survive. You don’t get to judge me.”  
“I’m not judging you, I’m offering you a way out!” Sirius was desperate to make him see sense.  
“A way out of this?” Regulus gestured to his Dark Mark. “Not all of Gringotts can get me out. It’s a life sentence.”  
“We’ll run. I can hide you! You don’t have to do this, Reg, please.”  
“Running is your answer to everything, isn’t it, Sirius?” Regulus’ face closed off, becoming mask-like. “I’m staying. I suggest you leave before our mother returns.”  
He turned his back to his brother, so Sirius wouldn’t see the tears run down his face.  
“If you change your mind… Day or night, I’ll come, alright?”  
Regulus stayed quiet, only letting a deep sob escape once he’d heard his brother leave. Dropping his head in defeat he made a silent wish that his brother would never find out the full extent of the choices he’d made.

When Mr and Mrs Potter arrived home they were surprised to find their house in darkness. They had expected to find both their sons at home, around this time of night usually deep in the middle of some - to their ears - nonsensical discussion, but the house was quiet as they entered.  
“James? Sirius?” Euphemia called out, but no answer came.  
“Young love, hey?” Her husband grinned meaningfully. “I don’t suppose we have to wonder where they’re both off to.”  
“I suppose you’re right.” Euphemia smiled. “They do grow up fast, don’t they?”  
They looked at each other a little wistfully, suddenly very conscious of the big empty house.  
When James had been young the house was always full of noise and mischievous laughter, and later when he’d been away at Hogwarts they’d always looked forward to him bringing home his friends for the holidays. But soon he’d leave for the last time, and there’d be no more boys returning to them.  
They were pulled from their reminiscence by a loud bang on the door. With a wary look, both Potters pulled their wands and made their way to the front of the house.  
“Who’s there?” Fleamont called out, his hand on the doorknob.  
“Hello? I need help.” A young voice sounded from the other side of the door. “I have a friend who’s hurt, and I noticed aconite growing in your garden, I was hoping maybe one of you was a Healer.”  
Fleamont looked at Euphemia, a silent communication passing between them. What were the chances of another wizard accidentally stumbling upon the only magical house in the area? On the other hand, if someone really was wounded they would never turn them away. At his wife’s nod, Fleamont Potter opened the door.  
He immediately realized his mistake when he noticed neither of the men in front of him looked hurt. With raised wands and malicious grins they forced their way inside.  
“Thanks, it’s ever so much easier to talk face to face, isn’t it?” One of the men said pleasantly.  
“I think it’s best if you leave again.” Mr Potter said firmly. “Neither of you seems hurt, so you won’t need our help after all.”  
“Well, we’re here now, so let’s chat, shall we?” The first man replied, smiling coldly.

Mary looked out of her window at the house across the road. There was no movement behind the dark windows, as there hadn’t been for the past four days. But that was alright, she was patient.  
All the anger and rage she had felt when she’d stormed after Cecil Rowe had long since vanished, and instead been replaced by a cold conviction that had lodged itself in her heart like a chip of ice. One day, they would meet again. And she would kill him.


End file.
